'Strategic' Bryson DeChambeau Responds at 2026 Open Championship

Golf never ceases to amaze me with its counterintuitive nature.

The discourse around Bryson DeChambeau and his golf game leading into the Open Championship was, to put it frankly, starting to get absurd. With no LIV Golf events on the schedule, DeChambeau spent the past few weeks making YouTube videos, including one at the lovable, shaggy Northwood Golf Club. Not exactly a typical links prep. Having already missed the cut in the first three majors this year, it did not draw rave reviews from analysts. Ahead of the championship, Brandel Chamblee did not hold back on Golf Channel. "It's almost like he went from chasing Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy to chasing Grant Horvat. It's like he wants to outdo every YouTuber in the game of golf instead of outplay everybody in the game of golf."

Nick Faldo was similarly blunt in his assessment on a Sky Sports podcast.

“I’d say it to his face — he has zero clue of strategy,” Faldo said.

DeChambeau was clearly aware of the comments and clearly annoyed by them, but he had the last laugh on Thursday. He looked sharp, confident, and ready to contend in round one, shooting a 3-under 67. After the round, he declined to answer questions from the media, but seemed to enjoy throwing a few subtle jabs at Faldo in an interview with an R&A media official, using the word “strategic” twice and “strategy” once while glaring into the camera.

“I think you've got to be a lot more strategic out on the golf course,” DeChambeau said. “I feel like I did a really good job today of being incredibly strategic and focused super hard on placing it in the right places. Besides 18, I placed the ball in some good areas. I just need to hit more fairways. Other than that, I feel like my strategy was nice today."

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It was easy to be skeptical of DeChambeau's chances coming into the Open, considering his recent form and his track record in the championship. I myself was critical in our preview podcast, but even as I was talking, I found myself thinking the discourse had gotten so negative that he was probably going to surprise people.

Golf works that way. Right when you think you know what will happen, the opposite narrative tends to emerge. Everything about the sport is counterintuitive. If you are struggling with a slice, feeling like you are swinging to the right, not the left, will help your game. If you want to play well, letting go of expectations will help you more than trying harder. In DeChambeau's case, maybe doing a different type of prep relaxed him and prepared him for this week's pressure and attention.

Who knows if his strong play will hold? He did hit just 4 of 14 fairways on Thursday. But a baked-out Royal Birkdale with minimal wind is a good recipe for the two-time U.S. Open Champion to contend and — against all expectations — potentially thrive.